All posts tagged ‘ComiXology’

ComiXology is a popular platform for digital that lets you buy the comics once and then read them on multiple platforms: iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire and Windows 8 devices. While some publishers have their own iPad apps, there are many (including DC and Marvel) who run a ComiXology-powered app.

Today in the run-up to this weekend’s SXSW, ComiXology announced a new initiative called ComiXology Submit, which lets anyone submit comics to sell on the platform and get 50% of the net sales. There are 34 indie comics creators who signed on for launch, so you’ll already see their comics in the store now, but this opens up digital comics publishing for the masses in a way that doesn’t involve setting up your own website and infrastructure. If you’re interested in getting your own comics published, visit this page to get started! Continue Reading “ComiXology Submit: Power to the Cartoonist” »

A long time ago, when a kid walked into a grocery store, pharmacy, or what used to be called the five and dime, one of the first displays that greeted him was a spinner rack. This wire display stand, always seemingly just taller than your outstretched-arms-when-standing-on-tippy-toes height, held all kinds of great comics for kids. In addition to traditional superhero fare, there were Archie, Beetle Bailey, Richie Rich, and many, many more. The spinner rack was a treasure trove of funny stories, great escapes, and ads that promised everything from Sea Monkeys to x-ray glasses.

Fast-forward to the present day and the ubiquitous spinner rack has long since disappeared from stores, along with most traces of comic books for kids. Granted, there are still a lot of decent all ages books out there, but they are just a little harder to find. Walk into many bookstores and their collections of comic books for kids are limited to one or two titles. Venture into the back of most comic book stores and there’s just a single shelf dedicated to all-ages books — and it’s mostly movie tie-ins and a few very out-of-date issues. Unless you know exactly what you are looking for, finding age appropriate comics can be a huge pain … until now.

Today, Comixology announced a new and improved version of Comics4Kids, a comics app for iOS. Comics4Kids has been around for a while now, although never as useful and feature-rich as this newest version. In its latest iteration, Comics4Kids is a completely redesigned app and one that will be very familiar to current Comixology users. In fact, the interface is nearly identical to the regular app. Continue Reading “An Exclusive Look at the New & Vastly Improved Comics4Kids App” »

If you’ve been waiting for Volume 2 of Rust by Royden Lepp, you can start purchasing through the ComiXology app now. So far only the first chapter is available, but Archaia will be releasing additional chapters through ComiXology in advance of the 200-page print edition later this fall.

I’ve gotten a sneak peek at volume 2: Secrets of the Cell, which picks up where we left off. Roman’s younger brother Oswald is still suspicious of Jet and makes an interesting discovery. In the meantime, there’s an old robot left over from the war that seems to be tracking Jet down for some reason.

Secrets of the Cell gives us a little more insight into Jet’s mysterious history, although it’s still a tantalizing amount that leaves you eager for volume 3. Lepp’s sepia-toned artwork really puts you into this rural landscape, wondering about the old war and the robots we built to fight in them.

I really liked the hardcover — Archaia does a fantastic job making beautiful books — but if you just can’t wait, pick up your device of choice and get the ComiXology app (available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web) and grab yourself the first chapter.

Screenshots from Rust app

Speaking of the digital version, there’s also a Rust app for the iPad. It comes with the preview chapter, and you can purchase the entire first volume in-app for $9.99. The comic looks great on the iPad, but what’s really cool are the options to toggle the text on and off and to switch between the black-and-white sketches and the final artwork. There are a few extras, like character bios and a little game of Concentration (Memory) using artwork from the comic, but the real bonus that you don’t get from the hardcover is the peek at the process. Secrets of the Cell isn’t available through the app yet, but will become available later.

Whichever format you prefer, Rust is a pretty cool tale about robots, a kid with a jetpack, and a kid struggling to run the family farm without his dad.